Yayoi Kusama began painting as a child when she started experiencing hallucinations that ofen involved fields of dots. She started to paint using polka dots and nets as motifs at around age ten ,and created fantastic paintings in watercolors, pastels and oils.
Installation view of The Obliteration room, 2011
Dotted coloured stickers in whitewashed room.
Source: http://interactive.qag.qld.gov.au/looknowseeforever/introduction/
The use of a singular colour background in an installation is evident in Yayoi Kusama’s the obliteration room .The artist recreated an Australian domestic environment completely painted in white. The white room functioned as a blank canvas, gradually obliterated by its audience as they are all handed a set of stickers when they enter the space.
The viewers were given the autonomy to paste them anywhere they desire. The accumulation of dots changes over time eventually resulting in a blur of colours formed by the dots. Kusama cleverly eliminated the distracting colours of the original furniture and appliances by whitewashing them. Allowing the colourful dots, which was the biggest part of her life and artistic style to be the focus of the interactive display.
